Nicky didn't care about location.
He chose the high school event because he wanted the challenge of playing
in the most difficult spring national scholastic tournament. So,
at his behest, I reluctantly booked our flights to Columbus, resigning
myself to yet another tournament experienced within the inner sanctum
of the hotel and convention center.

Columbus, I owe you an apology.

Downtown Columbus turned out to be lively, vital, pristine, slightly funky, hospitable and eminently walkable. Because of room overflow in the conference center hotel, we stayed four blocks away at the Renaissance, a pleasant distance from the tournament hall, since the weather chose to cooperate. Spring was definitely in the air, the landscape awash in flowers, a riot of sunshiny hues unlike anything we see in South Florida. Just check out this color-confused tulip whose strange genetic heritage seemed appropriate for our visit.

The line is drawn....a fitting chess metaphor?

On day one, between bughouse
and blitz tournaments, we discovered a food gem in the North Market,
located a short walk from the convention center. Within its confines
were vendors hawking everything from vegan-friendly delights to certified
extra-meaty goats to fine wines, all purveyed casually and slightly
tongue-in-cheek.

Throughout the tournament,
Nicky lived on the market's handmade pastas and miso soups; I slurped
down thick, frosty mango lassis and spicy palek paneer. And we
both fell head-over-heels in love with Artisan Breads' ridiculously
decadent Omega cakes, slathered in Bavarian chocolate, filled with rich,
authentic, extremely caloric, made-from-scratch buttercream. Nicky
and I shared a cake every night, in celebration of victories won or
in consolation for battles lost. Our diets, both fiscal and edible,
start tomorrow, I swear.

Tasty little bites of heaven

And let's not forget the
Blue Jackets, Columbus' professional hockey team. Nicky loves
hockey almost as much as he loves chess. When he learned their
home, the National Arena, was right down the street from the Convention
Center, his eyes lit up. So of course, a trip to the arena -
and the Blue Jackets' store - was mandated.

Of course, we didn't travel
all the way to Columbus just for the scenery, tempting and fattening
though it was.

So jumping immediately from
the flight into the fire: Nicky and his friend, Nathan Barnavon, dove
into the tournament with a bang, competing energetically in the Thursday's
bughouse tournament. Although their first round loss left them a bit
discouraged, they rallied and fought their way back into trophy contention,
finishing 7/10 to capture ninth on tiebreaks. Later, they discovered
they'd fallen in the first round to the undefeated bughouse winners
NM Scott Low and FM Shinsaku Uesugi.

Nicky and Nathan, bughouse team

For Nicky, blitz was a different
story; he was feeling distracted and far less focused. Although
he was playing well, the long downtime between pairings made him antsy,
especially since the Stanley Cup playoffs were being televised while
he was waiting. After Round 2, he called asking if he could pull
out of the tournament because "his head wasn't there." I
convinced him to stay for one more round. Fortunately, the lag
between rounds tightened up and his competitive fire finally unleashed
with his Round 3 victories. He remained to finish the tournament
with 9.5/12 points, tying for 8th place and receiving the
16th place trophy on tiebreaks.

My latest adventure with the
blue apron began Friday with the start of the main tournament, located
in the impressive and comfortable convention center. Simply viewing
the creatively-designed, undulating wave of blue-lit ceiling was worth
the price of admission.

As a strong proponent of equal
rights, I thought it providential that the Seventh Annual All-Girls
National Chess Championships was occurring in conjunction with the High
School Nationals. Mindful of the coincidental timing, I requested
a slot in the girls' tournament whenever possible. My old friend,
USCF volunteer coordinator Tom Nelson, was happy to oblige, although
it turned out that I was usually needed in the main tournament.
I did, however, have the opportunity to volunteer for Round 2 of the
girls' event. I also dropped by to watch the boisterously loud,
raucously happy awards ceremony.

I wasn't sure what to expect
from the All-Girls tournament or even how I felt about a segregated
event. After all, women are constantly fighting against the stereotype
that girls can't do certain things as well as boys can, playing chess
among them. Female-belittling quotes abound in historical chess
literature and lore, most of which are too ill-advised to even bear
repeating. As both a female and a minority, I've always struggled
hard against using either my sex or my race to move myself forward.
So part of me wondered if holding a separate event somehow promoted
that stereotype or maybe even took women a few steps backwards.

That's why I especially loved
Abby Marshall's equality-based (dare I say...feminist?), issue-aware
CLO blog about winning the 2009 Denker, in which she wrote, "There
shouldn't have to be all-girl's events and titles and what not,
except that the ratio of guys to girls is still hugely skewed and there
are hardly any top women players compared to guys. The question is when
will women be considered equal to men at chess? What barriers have to
be broken before we can say that girls have proven we are equal to guys?
I don't know."

As luck would have it, Nicky
was on the receiving end of Abby Marshall's mission to prove she's
equal to guys. He met her over the board, and subsequently fell
to her, in Round 3. Obviously, she chose to play in the High School
tournament in lieu of the All-Girls event. I'd hoped to ask
her about her choice, and maybe even snap a photo of her with Nicky,
but she arrived late, after the spectators had been asked to clear the
floor. After the round, I asked Nicky what he thought of playing
against the Denker champion and blogger extraordinaire. He replied,"
She's really good...but she left for, like, 10 minutes on move 2.
Move 2!!" What strange actions make lasting impressions!

Nicky played, and won, against
another worthy female opponent, Emily Tallo, in Round 2. After that
round ended, I asked Emily why she chose the High School Nationals instead
of the All-Girls tournament. It seems I touched a nerve. She made
it clear how unhappy she was about the scheduling. She would have
liked to play in both, but she chose the high school tournament because,
she said, "All of the strong players are playing in the High School
Nationals."

"Plus," she added, "someone
who's on a high school team, like me, shouldn't be forced to choose
between their team and their personal goals. It's not really
fair that they held the High School Nationals and the All-Girls Nationals
at the same time."

Food for thought when scheduling
future events, perhaps? (Editor's note- The All-Girls-Nationals did a see a record turnout this year, so it may be that the girls who had to choose between the two events were outnumbered by the girls who came because the events were held in conjunction.)

The atmosphere in the girls'
tournament itself was the same as in any other high-stakes tournament:
the air was imbued with that false quiet under which simmers fierce
concentration and a slight nervous tension. The only differences,
it seems (absent testosterone), were superficial: the smaller room in
the lower level, the complete lack of spectators and the hovering presence
of press and a video camera, following the story of IS 318 and its star
player, Rochelle Ballantyne (who co-won Under-18).

As more of a floating volunteer
this time, I experienced a little sampling of all the assignments, from
score-keeping to running. I learned I'm not a particularly apt runner
in a high school tournament, since I'm shorter than 95% of the participants,
most of whom mill about while playing, thereby making it impossible
for me to see the raised hands of the seated players. The TDs
usually found the players before I did. And I almost took out
more than a few players while swinging around and pointing. Note
for next time: Relieving me of running duties will help keep the chess-playing
world (and me) safe from harm.

And, in a turnabout-is-fair-play
moment, Kwa Shabu, a photographer from Michigan chess, snapped this
candid of me stretching out my weary legs after three hours of standing.
After finishing this tournament, I have much more respect for the TDs:
I honestly don't know how they do it! Kwa and I decided that
a yoga break should be mandated for anyone still playing halfway through
the round. Take five minutes for spinal twists, cat-cow, or downward
dog and the energy will be renewed and flowing strongly, we guarantee
it!

The observer
being observed. Photo by Kwa Shabu

I also noticed an interesting
fashion trend in the hall: boys in pajama bottoms. Yes, it seems
the ubiquitous sweatpants have given way to the more colorful, equally
comfortable pajama bottom, usually adorned with Super Mario or some
other video game character. I'm not sure if is this unique to
chess, or if it's a nationwide trend, as it never gets cold enough
in South Florida to mandate flannel, fleece or sweatpants.

Nicky ended the tournament
with three wins, three draws and his loss to Abby Marshall. He
was neither happy nor unhappy about his results, having chosen the tournament
precisely for its stronger players, thereby entering with lowered expectations.
He happily concluded his tournament experience in his favorite way:
playing exuberantly madcap bughouse with a group of close friends.
As he played, I slipped in quietly to watch the girls' closing ceremonies.
Afterwards, as I exited the hall, I heard an excited young, feminine
voice chanting loudly:

"Rah! Rah! Ree!
Kick ‘em in the knee!"

I turned to see a young girl
clutching a trophy almost as large as she was. She continued animatedly:

"Rah! Rah! Rass!
Kick ‘em in the a**!"

"No, no!" her mother chastised,
mortified. "It's ‘Kick ‘em in the other
knee.' Nice girls don't say it that way."

Personally, I don't think
it's appropriate for any young child to use the word "a**," unless
they're referring to a donkey. But I found the mother's word choice
an interesting counterpoint to the weekend's intent. Ironic,
isn't it, how stereotypes are inadvertently perpetuated, even in the
midst of a tournament designed to break down barriers and remove stereotypes.

But that's another rant for
another day.

For Nicky and me, the weekend
was successful from start to finish: an almost-perfect combination of
work and play, chess and sightseeing, good friends and (too much) delicious
food. We loved Columbus for its warm and friendly hospitality
and its many charming, walkable districts that offered us a welcome
respite from the seriousness of the tournament. I therefore humbly
request a "take back" from any preconceived or negative notions
I originally harbored toward this fair city.

And with that, I say (cheesy
though it may be)...Goodbye, Columbus, and thank you.